WILL POWER NOT ENOUGH FOR UNITED
NORWICH V LEEDS
DANIEL Farke has welcomed Will Ferrell on board at Leeds – but admits the Anchorman star can’t help them sink Norwich.
Ferrell is buying into Leeds’ owners, the 49ers Enterprises in his native California, and Farke is delighted the funnyman is joining fellow actor Russell Crowe in having a stake in the club.
But Farke (inset) does not think the arrival of the Elf and Barbie star will guarantee a Hollywood ending to their push for promotion via the play-offs.
“We need each and every man,” said the Leeds boss ahead of the first leg of their semi-final at Norwich tomorrow.
“It’s always good when investors support the interests of the club.
“He’s a great, great actor. We’re all happy that he’s on board, but I don’t think it will help us a lot in Norwich!
Calibre
“It’s nice to have this and it says a lot about the calibre of this club that we have many wellknown and also popular supporters.
“But it’s up to the players to bring the success we want and shoot the ball over the line.”
Farke was at pains to talk up his side after they lost four of their final six Championship games to miss out on automatic promotion.
Leeds have also failed in all five of their previous play-off campaigns but Farke added: “One thing is for sure, I wouldn’t swap one player in this team.
“I totally believe in them. I’ve spoken quite often about the winning mentality that I think we have because when there’s a special occasion, when there are really spotlight games, we’re good.
“We played two times against Leicester and we won two times. We played two times against Ipswich and we won two times.
“Yes, a bit more consistency would have been great, but also with 90 points you can’t speak too much about a lack of consistency.
“So the feeling is, especially in spotlight games, this team is spot on.
Spotlight
“We have two spotlight games against Norwich and I’m optimistic we can repeat this and show this winning mentality again.”
Meanwhile, David Wagner believes Norwich have already shown they can handle the heat of a high-pressure play-off clash.
The Canaries’ hopes of a top-six finish looked bleak during the first half of the season when a slump in form raised doubts about Wagner’s future.
But an impressive turnaround meant they ended the campaign in sixth spot to set up a semi-final meeting with Leeds.
And boss Wagner says his side can draw confidence from the way they have held their nerve in other tension-filled games this season.
He said: “One of our first targets was top six.
“That first step is done but it is only the first step.
“Everyone should embrace this situation.
“We had some exciting games already this season where the players delivered, the derbies, other big must-win games where they were fully on it.
“That gives us trust and belief we can deliver again. We will only have a chance if we do it together on the pitch and in the
stands.”